The Orioles are one of the teams that was linked with Bronson Arroyo for much of the offseason. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that one of the reasons they lost out on him was that the Orioles had already failed two players on physicals this offseason and Arroyo was concerned that they’d pull it with him:

But, according to one source, another serious factor was that the Orioles had failed two players’ physicals this offseason — outfielder Tyler Colvin’s one-year deal and the high-profile decision to walk away from Balfour and his two-year, $15 million agreement due to concerns about his right shoulder . . . t’s impossible to say that was the leading factor in Arroyo’s decision to go to Arizona, but it seemingly played a part.

The money, apparently, favored Baltimore. But Arroyo chose the Diamondbacks. Maybe because the NL West is easier. Maybe for some other reason. But part of it was the O’s dealings with Balfour and Colvin.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports Thursday that the Orioles “are said to have begun fielding calls of interest” on superstar Manny Machado and “are close to the point of seriously weighing whether to trade him.”

You’d think it would be a no-brainer for the last-place O’s to flip Machado — an impending free agent — for prospects, but Heyman notes there is “still a question whether or not longtime Orioles owner Peter Angelos” will give the go-ahead. One person familiar with the situation put it a “50-50” likelihood. Another suggested that it would take a massive return, which, sure.

Machado entered play Thursday with a sensational .328/.405/.635 batting line, 15 home runs, and an MLB-leading 43 RBI in 49 games. It’d be a real shock if he’s still wearing an O’s uniform by the end of July.

Heyman reported previously that at least nine teams made aggressive plays for Machado this winter, including the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Indians, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Cardinals. A whole lot of those teams still make sense here in late May — maybe all of them except the White Sox.